[photo by Sean Rayford]
Where There’s Smoke There’s Fire, the writhing second album from Columbia, South Carolina-based BURNT BOOKS, is out today through Retro Futurist Records. In celebration, the band’s hometown record release show takes place tonight, and a feature on the band alongside a stream of Where There’s Smoke There’s Fire in its entirety has been published at Selective Memory webzine.
Displaying thirty-six minutes of their unique and mesmerizing brew of discontented, avant-garde punk rock, BURNT BOOKS demonstrates incredible growth in their songwriting and delivery on Where There’s Smoke There’s Fire, yet the group retains the bleak antagonism and angular gnarliness their self-titled debut album deployed. As with their debut, the band once again enlisted Phillip Cope of Kylesa to produce their follow-up LP at The Jam Room Recording Studio in the their hometown. Cope in turn signed BURNT BOOKS for the release of the album through his co-owned Retro Futurist Records.
Experience the singe of BURNT BOOKS’ Where There’s Smoke There’s Fire alongside an interview with the band through Selective Memory at THIS LOCATION.
With vinyl and cassette versions to follow this Summer, Where There’s Smoke There’s Fire is out today on CD via Retro Futurist Records HERE, and Bandcamp HERE, as well as via all major digital outlets.
BURNT BOOKS‘ hometown record release melee for the new album takes place tonight, Friday, March 20th, with an eleven-city run with labelmates Crazy Bag Lady kicking off in just two weeks, the trek running from April 2nd through 12th and including shows with Sea of Storms (ex-Wow, Owls, Mouthbreathers, Tigershark, Torturess (ex-Racebannon, Medusa) Cinemechanica (ex-Manray) and more.
BURNT BOOKS Tour Dates:
3/20/2015 New Brookland Tavern – Columbia, SC *record release show w/ Glittoris, UnInhabitable, more
4/02/2015 Milestone – Charlotte, NC w/ Crazy Bag Lady, Sea Of Storms, Pig Mountain [info]
4/03/2015 Odditorium – Asheville, NC w/ Crazy Bag Lady, Sea Of Storms, Uninhabitable, Spliff
4/04/2015 25 Watt – Richmond, VA w/ Crazy Bag Lady, Sea Of Storms, Slowing [info]
4/05/2015 The Ottobar Upstairs – Baltimore, MD w/ Crazy Bag Lady
4/06/2015 Legion Of Doom – Columbus, OH w/ Crazy Bag Lady, Checkmate [info]
4/07/2015 Fifth Quarter Lounge – Indianapolis, IN w/ Crazy Bag Lady, Torturess, Voidweaver [info]
4/08/2015 The Bishop – Bloomington, IN w/ Crazy Bag Lady, Torturess, Wounded Knees [info]
4/09/2015 The Stone Fox – Nashville, TN w/ Crazy Bag Lady. Sky Burial, Thetan, Subject/Rulers [info]
4/10/2015 Poison Lawn – Knoxville, TN w/ Crazy Bag Lady
4/11/2015 Caledonia – Athens, GA w/ Crazy Bag Lady, Cinemechanica, Harsh Words, Savagist
4/12/2015 New Brookland Tavern – Columbia, SC w/ Crazy Bag Lady, Cinemechanica
5/02/2015 Caledonia – Athens, GA
5/19/2015 TBA – Atlanta, GA
BURNT BOOKS formed in October 2011, its members hailing from a variety of local bands. Matt Thompson and Troy Thames of Guyana Punch Line and Thank God joined Joey Parker and Chuck Sligh of Tunguska to create the blended driving force of Burnt Books, and the addition of Zoe Lollis brought beautiful yet brutal vocals to the fold adding another force all together. After touring on their self-titled debut album which rocketed forth through At A Loss Recordings in January 2013, the band started writing with a more refined vision and focus, and having known the band for some time and seen their tight yet emotionally raw live shows, Retro Futurist Records proposed to release their follow-up album. Following the recording of Where There’s Smoke There’s Fire, Thames left the band, who now continues on as a quartet.
“Let me tell you a story about Kate Bush having a brain transplant with At the Drive In, then the two going back in time to high school where Black Flag were their band teachers.” – Cvlt Nation
http://www.facebook.com/Burntbooks
http://retrofuturistrecords.com
http://retrofuturist.bandcamp.com